Today's Top Stories: Speech Flap; CIA Flights; Libya

The story that the news media seem to believe is this morning's important news is word that the back-and-forth over which night next week President Obama will address a joint session of Congress has ended with the White House agreeing to do it on Thursday (the 8th) instead of Wednesday, which it had requested.

Over at It's All Politics, NPR's Ron Elving says there was "peevish political gamesmanship" going on as the White House first tried to get the speech scheduled for the same night as a GOP presidential debate, only to have House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) say no, please come on Thursday instead — when the address will be up against the opening game of the NFL season.

We'll leave it to others to sort out the gamesmanship. Largely lost in the hubbub is discussion of the speech's topic — the president's latest jobs plan. According to The Associated Press:

"White House officials say not all details of the president's address have been decided, though he is expected to lay out proposals to increase hiring with a blend of tax incentives for business and government spending for public works projects. At the same time, White House officials say, he will offer long-term deficit reductions to make up for any upfront spending."